


The House

by Yurutono



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Angst, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Supernatural Elements, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29592510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yurutono/pseuds/Yurutono
Summary: The idea that you're more important than you think you are is one that Riko Sakurauchi finds pleasant, but unrealistic, a mere lofty idea that gets you through your hardest days and your lowest points. So when she finds her life on the line, targeted by something she'd never even entertained the notion of existing and unceremoniously dropped into a supernatural safe haven referred to only as The House, how rapidly will her life change and how quickly will she adjust?Knowing her, not particularly smoothly.
Relationships: Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi, Matsuura Kanan/Ohara Mari, Sakurauchi Riko/Tsushima Yoshiko
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

“When am I going to see you again?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Nozomi said, “But sooner than I hope.”

Nozomi couldn’t bring herself to look Eli in the eye, a rarity for her. She’d told herself she was going to be direct, firm but gentle and reassuring as well. But she was crumbling and fast.

“I-” Eli huffled, struggling to find the words to say that it would all be okay and she didn’t need to take drastic measures. “Is this really the only thing?”

“The only thing I can think to do,” Nozomi replied, giving Eli a bittersweet smile, “I’ve been working up to this for years… We’ve had plenty of time and I can’t put it off any longer.”

“Nozomi…” Eli didn’t bother sparing her the pained expression on her face, “At least let me come with you.”

Nozomi exhaled, “It’ll be a prison for you too.”

“I don’t care,” Eli said, grabbing Nozomi by the shoulder when she turned around, “I can’t leave you alone.”

Nozomi didn’t respond immediately, raising a hand and putting it over Eli’s. She shook her head. “And I can’t subject you to it with me.” 

Eli gave her shoulder a squeeze and brought her other arm around Nozomi’s waist, tightly, an implicit sign she wouldn’t be letting go easily. Nozomi squirmed in her grip, turning around to face her and cupping her cheeks, forcing herself to keep her eyes on Eli. Even through the tears pooling in her eyes, she wouldn’t let it travel to her voice. “We’ll see each other again… I promise.”

Eli couldn’t get a word in edgeways between Nozomi pressing her lips against her own and then, in the blink of an eye, she was out of Eli’s grip and heading towards the nearest door. Nozomi threw it open, stepping inside and then slamming it shut. Eli followed closely at her heels, shoving the door open once more, but… Nothing. She was gone, in an instant. And there was nothing more she could say or do to change her mind. Eli could sense the residual magic, but it was rapidly fading. A witch’s magic was far stronger than her own.

\---

A familiar chill ran down the thinblood’s spine. Most would take such a feeling as an ill omen, one of complete discomfort and the presence of something sinister. But for her, it was the only familiarity she had left in this world.

“That one down there, huh?” Spectral hands placed themselves on her shoulder. “Umi-chan?”

Umi sighed, glancing over her shoulder towards the ghostly spectre. “Mm. Watch out for me.”

“Always do.” With that, Kotori disappeared.

The person walking the streets continued her stroll oblivious of the danger lurking above, a dark shadow jumping across the rooftops for their moment to strike. Her phone rang and she quickly answered, sighing down the phone, “Yeah, I’ll be back to the dorms soon… You don’t need to worry about me Chika-chan, sorry I forgot to tell you I was staying late.”

_ “It’s alright Riko-chan, I just thought it was kinda later than normal.” _

“Took longer than I thought and you know I don't have my phone out whilst studying.”

_ “Alright, I’ll see you soon then, right?” _

“Of course. See you soon.”

The call ended and the figure descended. Her sword was out in the blink of an eye, her gaze piercing straight through Riko. After a beat of silence, Umi spoke, “Make this easier for us both.”

But Riko’s response was not to make things easier for the both of them. “I don’t know who you are, but-” Every instinct she was having in her body was telling her to run and run she did. It didn’t matter where, just away from the woman that had dropped out of nowhere to threaten her with a sword.

“That never works, I don’t know why you do it.” Kotori mused, which Umi couldn’t help but roll her eyes in response to before giving chase. 

“I-I think you have the wrong person!” Riko called out, trying not to slip over on the freshly rained upon pavement. It didn’t take long until she realised she’d run, or perhaps been herded, into a narrow alleyway. The only places to go from here were either up (which wasn’t happening), or through a door with an ominous warning sign on it. Well. It was either that or die immediately. Riko, with strength she probably didn’t have, battered herself against the door, even if she knew her shoulder would be feeling sore tomorrow.

Yet, it didn’t budge.

Adrenaline pumped through her and she turned to face her assailant, squinting her eyes as if that would help her figure out how she’d wronged them. Maybe she was a private investigator (hitman seemed far too outlandish), but as far as she could tell, she’d never done anything that drastically wrong… Nobody at university disliked her, she thought, unless someone had a grudge on her doing well in class. Riko had never been arrested, nor had she dobbed anyone in for misdeeds. So why, why was she being threatened with a sword?

“Wait, wait, wait-!” Riko held up her hands, her chest rising and falling in sheer panic, her eyes searching Umi’s face for any reason behind it. “Why… Why are you attacking me, I’ve not done anything!”

Umi held her sword towards her, her mouth opening, but she didn’t elect to answer the question. “It’s for your own good.”

“Wh-”

Before she could stutter out further protests, the door behind her was suddenly yanked forward, Riko falling back rather unceremoniously with a yelp as she’d been pushing back against it still. Her first saviour she could see upon her back hitting the floor was a blonde woman who yanked her backwards, further into the room. She registered a slam, but her vision was blurring and panic felt like it was searing through her veins, the blonde woman knelt beside Riko and took off her scarf, bunching it up and using it as a pillow beneath her head.

“Kanan, go get her some water,” She said with a loose gesture. Out of the corner of her eye, Riko saw a shadow hurry off. “You’re safe now, okay?”

“Wh-where…?” Riko’s eyes darted around, vaguely registering what looked like a lounge. Plush, comfortable seating, a lowly burning fire, paintings, bookshelves and dim lighting casting vague shadows. She felt like she’d been transported to an older time in a foreign country, or maybe some sort of society for the rich. She swallowed with a dry throat, the blonde above her giving her a warm smile to try and placate her.

“Well, we just call it The House.” She explained, as if that would click with some universal understanding Riko would have. “Can you sit up?”

Riko did as she was told, the adrenaline slowly beginning to dissipate. “Wh-who was that? Did you know her?”

“Can’t say that I do…” She sighed, “Nasty vibes though, y’know?”

“You can say that again…” Riko mumbled as a woman with blue hair done up in a ponytail came back with a bottle of water.

“Sorry it took so long… Kitchen moved.”

Riko didn’t quite get what that meant and deep down she knew that even if it was explained to her she probably still wasn’t going to understand. She wordlessly took the bottle with a nod of thanks.

“Anyway, I’m Mari, this is my girlfriend, Kanan.” 

Kanan waved once whilst Riko was preoccupied getting some of her strength back. “Riko…”

“I gotta admit…” Mari paused, tapping her finger against her chin, “I’m not getting a read off you.”

“What do you mean…?” Riko felt like she was about to descend a rabbit hole.

“Well… I have pretty good intuition when it comes to guessing what people are.”

Riko gave her a blank look, masking her nervousness in a swig of the bottle.

“I know some of us like to play hard to get, but c’mon,” Mari laughed, standing up and offering Riko a hand seeing as they were still sitting on the floor. “Give me a hint at least.”

“Don’t harass her, Mari…” Kanan sighed, putting her hand on Mari’s shoulder, “If she doesn’t want to say, don’t pressure her.”

Riko didn’t know what they were talking about and she was definitely too afraid to ask. She sat down on one of the seats and sank into it with a sigh, staring at the ceiling. “So… The House is behind a random door in an alleyway?”

“It can be anywhere,” Mari said, folding her hands over each other on the top of a sofa, “So long as someone’s in trouble, it just manifests.” 

“What like… Magic…?” 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’d never heard of any of this stuff before,” Mari laughed, “But The House only lets in supernaturals.”

“What…?”

“You’re a pretty good actor,” Mari chuckled, “But! Your act has one fatal flaw.” Her body dissipated suddenly, becoming tendrils of blackness that Riko couldn't even begin to imagine the texture of, if any at all. They travelled beneath Riko’s seat, twisting upwards in front of her into a humanoid shape and they folded away into nothingness to reveal a more human form once more, grinning down at her, “You can’t  _ be  _ here if you’re just human.”

Riko  _ would’ve  _ responded to that, but she was busy doing what any normal person would do in this situation.

Fainting.

\---

When Riko came to, she was lying above silken bedsheets on a mattress that felt made for her. But Riko was never the sort to simply sit and smell the roses, so she ended up bolting upwards, finding herself at a complete lack of mental comfort. At that moment, an unfamiliar face poked into the room, before pulling back and shouting something about how the new girl had woken up. 

She then stepped into the room, scratching her arm awkwardly, “I was told to check up on you, if I wasn’t doing anything else…”

Her body language all but screamed how awkward she felt in this moment, but Riko’s eyes weren’t there, they were instead travelling towards the singular wing she had protruding from her back, covered in a plume of grey feathers. It bristled as though personally slighted, before it’s owner began to complain, “H-hey, my eyes are over here!” 

“Oh, s-sorry.” She was probably dreaming, right?

“Yoshiko, be nice to her, she’s had a rough day.” Mari’s voice came through before she entered the room next, shaking her head. “I know that not everyone’s seen a shade before, but if I wasn’t flattered, I’d probably be offended.”

So soon after waking up, Riko felt light headed once more. It was all a bit too vivid to be a dream and her mouth felt dry too. “A… Shade?” 

Yoshiko stepped through, raising an eyebrow, “Did she hit her head on the way in?”

Mari shrugged towards Yoshiko as though Riko wasn’t even there at that moment.

“But she can’t be here unless she knows about this stuff!”

“We’ve been through this,” Mari sighed, “I’m starting to think she’s not acting.”

“I-I’m not!” Riko suddenly cut in to resolidify what felt like her gradually fading presence in the room, “I don’t know what a shade is, I don’t know what you are!” She said, flinching a little at the expression that crossed Yoshiko’s face, “Er… No offence.” She trailed off, fiddling with the edge of the bedsheets.

“If you are telling the truth, then we’ve got a bit of a mystery on our hands, right?” Mari said, trying to bring the emotion up a little bit. “Why has The House allowed you here if you’ve never heard of anything like this and as far as you know, you’re completely human?”

Riko still wasn’t fully convinced that this was real, but she felt compelled to go along with it anyway. Until she either woke up, or figured out whatever was going on. 

“The obvious answer is that she’s not human,” Yoshiko said, folding her arms, “So the question is what?”

“Mm… Give me a moment,” Mari said and before either of them could get a word in edgeways, her form had turned into tendrils of blackness, wisping away and the bulk of them travelled out of the doorway and down the hall. 

“I hate it when she does that…” Yoshiko grumbled, placing herself down on the nearest chair and crossing her legs with a huff, “You probably overheard, but I’m Yoshiko.”

“Riko.”

“But… Do you really have no idea?”

“None at all…” Riko said, casting her eyes downwards.

“No clue that I’m a fallen angel?”

“Well… I figured something along those lines.” 

“Guess it doesn’t take a genius,” Yoshiko said with an odd sense of bitterness behind her words.

“So… How long have you been here?” 

“... A while.” Yoshiko said with a small sigh, folding into herself. Riko got the message that she wasn’t going to be offering up what had happened to her with ease. She still didn’t quite get the premise of The House, but the pieces were there and they were gradually being put together.

“What… Other people are here?” She thought it might have been insensitive to refer to them as “things.”

“We have people going in and out all the time,” Yoshiko began, straightening up a little at the subject changing away from her own circumstances, “Werewolves, vampires, shifters, wights, elves…” 

“Right…”

Yoshiko rolled her shoulders and her wing fluttered with it. The obvious question was on the tip of Riko’s tongue and threatening to spill out, but Yoshiko spoke first. “I’m not used to being around someone who doesn’t know anything about this… And everyone here is pretty deep into it too. We’ve never had someone like you before.”

Riko opened her mouth to ask something, but her breath caught in her throat as she saw the tendrils of Mari work their way back into the room, climbing up on top of each other before forming into a tower vaguely the shape of a human and then, there Mari was once more. Riko doubted she’d ever get used to such a thing. This time though, Mari was brandishing a notebook and she sidled nonchalantly over to the bed, sitting herself down and flicking it open, “I’ve gathered a few questions,” She said, glancing at Riko’s bemused expression, “Don’t think too deeply, ‘kay?”

“Okay…”

“One, have you ever transformed into anything, even once, under the full moon? Anything, from a wolf to a rabbit.”

“Er… No,” Riko said, her eyebrows raising, “That last one’s a thing?”

“Who knows,” Mari shrugged before moving onto the next with all the tact of a bullet train, “Ever spoken to the dead?”

Riko shook her head rapidly. The mere thought sent a chill down her spine.

Instead of delivering the next question, Mari suddenly reached a hand forward to pat down her head, threading her fingers into her hair with a thoughtful hum, “No horns growing?”

“N-not that I know of-” Riko pulled herself back when she’d had enough of that, swallowing nervously.

“Ever felt the urge to drink blood, human or otherwise?”

“No, never.” 

“Really, not even once?” Mari asked, as though probing for an admission of guilt, “It’s okay, you can be honest with us.”

“I can say confidently,” Riko said slowly, “That I have never had the urge to drink any kind of blood ever.”

“Well, that rules out werebeast, wight, bloodline curse, demon, vampire and any hybrid varieties,” Mari said, making a few borderline indecipherable scribbles.

“Oh come on Mari, no one can go through their whole life not realising they’re some of those things...”

  
“Hybrid, maybe,” Mari said, “Stranger things have happened. Anyway,” She cleared her throat like an interrogator, “Ever turned into a mass of shadows or shadow-like things? First time’s scary, trust me. You might have repressed it.” 

“If she’s repressed it, then how would she know?” Yoshiko said, upturning her palm with disapproval written across her face.

“Good point, we’d have to get Hanamaru to probe.”

“I-I don’t want to be probed…” Riko mumbled, which Mari didn’t take much notice of. Yoshiko on the other hand stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

“Who says she even wants to find out what she is?”

After a bout of silence, Yoshiko rolled her eyes and glanced over the way both of them were looking at her, one expression of bemusement, the other of confusion. “If she can go back home today or tomorrow or whenever, forget about The House, forget about us, then why bother figuring it out? Hell, it could be a mistake.”

Mari sighed, “Even if that were true, when we pulled her through, it looked like she was being hunted,” She patted a hand on Riko’s shoulder surprisingly reassuringly. “The House brings us here for a reason and we have to look after each other, right?”

Yoshiko’s shoulders slackened, “I didn’t know she was being hunted,” She whined, scuffing her foot against the carpet, “But that just adds more questions, why would someone who, as far as they know, are completely human, be hunted by someone who isn’t?”

“Did she say anything to you?” Mari asked, removing her hand and she sighed when Riko shook her head.

“Just that it was for my own good…” 

“Huh, maybe I wrote off bloodline curse too soon then,” Mari looked back down to the notebook. Riko swallowed and felt that same dryness in her throat.

After a beat of silence, Riko’s eyes suddenly widened and she bolted up to search through the bag that had been put on the bedside table, rummaging through with all the vigour of a starving shark that had smelled blood.

“What’s wrong?” Yoshiko asked, the desperation clearly not infecting her.

“H-how long have I been out?” She asked, eventually retrieving her phone and flicking the screen on. There, messages upon messages from Chika littered the screen, ranging from “hey, where are you?” to “RIKO I SWEAR TO GOD.”

With shaky hands, she began to type out a response, though it was hard to think of what to articulate. How else was she supposed to explain to Chika what had happened and why she had disappeared for the whole night without so much of a word, beyond promising that she would be back soon. She couldn’t well say she’d been pulled into a strange house surrounded by supernatural creatures and neither could she say she’d pulled an all nighter at university. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Mari seemed to sense the situation.

“Ah… Someone was waiting for you last night? Roommate?”

Riko nodded, looking up at Mari who had gestured for her phone.

“Don’t worry, we’ve seen this before, I know a good excuse.”

Numbly and without considering the consequences, Riko handed it over and figured that any excuse was better than no excuse at all. It didn’t help that she was currently drawing a blank. With a smug look, Mari handed the phone back and she read the excuse Mari had expertly come up with.

_ “Sorry, I met someone and went home with them.”  _ Well, that was blunt.

_ “YOU DID WHAT”  _ Came an equally blunt response. Just then, it registered what Mari had actually told Chika. Riko was about to ream Mari somewhat uncharacteristically, before her phone lit up with a sudden call. Mari still looked incredibly proud of herself, standing up.

“Well, best answer her.” If it was possible for Mari to be smugger, then that smugness would’ve been enough to power all the electrical appliances in the world ten times over.

Leaving it until the last possible minute, Riko tapped to pick up the call and begin Chika’s endless stream of consciousness, involving phrases such as “I was so worried” and “I can’t believe you did this,” and a little bit of, “I nearly called your mother” in there too. Riko was bloody glad she didn’t, she didn’t think she could deal with two lots of this.

“C-calm down…”

“You’d be like this too if it was me! You’d be worse!”

That was true, Riko would be in hysterics if Chika had disappeared for one whole night.

“Not even a message?!”

Riko gave Mari a very pleading look, who was in a very different kind of hysterics right now, silently in tears. Even Yoshiko was trying not to snigger. That was, until Mari stood up, patted a hand on Yoshiko’s shoulder… And gave her an unceremonious shove, causing her to yelp and let out “Hey!” before she could stop herself. For a second, Yoshiko thought she could get away with it, before Chika’s voice came through the phone.

“Who was that? Was that her?! Tell her, if you’re doing this again Riko needs to let me know she’s not coming home for the night at least!”

Mari, in her bid to stay silent, was pretty much quite literally melting, black tendrils coming off her and her body parts wisping away as she struggled to stay fully formed. Yoshiko lunged for her, but even in her fit, Mari’s form shifted back to shadow, pulling back and fleeing out of the room now that her mischief had been sown.

“L-look, I’ll get back to you later,” Riko said, getting off the bed and before Chika could demand further explanation, she’d hit the end call button and thrown her phone back in her bag, rubbing her face with both hands. Somehow, the thought of going back to Chika was a little bit more daunting than the idea of facing her mystery assailant. “Can you show me how to get out?” She asked Yoshiko who gestured for her to follow. 

It was odd to think that this place clearly wasn’t an ordinary house. It had a fairly ordinary hallway and she briefly recalled the lounge she’d been pulled into. That had been a little more opulent than anything she was used to, almost evoking the feeling of a posh British hunting society, but not quite as large and a little more cosy. Doorways lined the walls and she could only assume that each and every one was inhabited, or at least, temporarily in use. Candlelight flickered, with both her and Yoshiko’s shadow arcing and shifting and with Mari’s abilities in the back of her mind, Riko couldn’t help but feel a bit on edge.

But the thing that put her at ease was Kanan coming around the corner and quite literally tugging along Mari behind her. “- going to apologise and we’re going to make sure she gets home safe, alright?”

“Fine, fine,” Mari said, turning her hand to shadow and slipping it out of Kanan’s grip, just as Riko and Yoshiko arrived in front of the both of them. “I’m sorry for causing trouble,” Mari said, stifling a smirk and she didn’t sound particularly sorry at all, but from Kanan and Yoshiko’s expression, Riko assumed that was the best she was going to get, “ _ But  _ now that you’re here, everyone in The House will help you as much as they can do.”

“If it’s not too weird to ask, whereabouts do you live? We’ll keep an eye out.” Kanan’s previous sour expression had been dropped and replaced instead with a reassuring smile. Yoshiko had taken the time to slip into one of the rooms, which was likely her own, at least, Riko assumed it was seeing as she caught a quick glimpse and it was a sheer blackness lit by a single candle. If it was what Yoshiko preferred, she wasn’t about to go poking at someone who she assumed was a little… Troubled? Eccentric? Take your pick.

“In the university accommodation. I can’t really see much happening there, right…?”

“Well… Maybe,” Kanan said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, “We don’t really know what the person who attacked you is capable of. We just know she’s supernatural.”

Yoshiko poked back out, holding a bracelet out to Riko and pressing it into her hand when she went to take it. It was only a simple thing, a silver chain with a clasp to keep it fixed to the wrist. Before Riko could think to ask why this impromptu gift had been bestowed upon her, Yoshiko was already speaking up as though she sensed that someone was about to tease her.

“Things that spend a while in The House get tied to it. If you need to, hit a closed door with the bracelet three times and when you open it, it should lead back here.” 

“Ah… I see.” Riko hoped she wouldn’t need that, but the gesture was nice at least and it added to the sincerity behind Kanan’s words. The more cynical part of Riko likened this to a social contract, being pulled into The House meant you signed it. But maybe it was something far more altruistic than that, the simple desire to protect people within a fold that you belonged to as well. She read a strange degree of vulnerability from every member she’d spoken to thus far and it was likely a very tight bond.

“Oh, I forgot to say,” Riko said, looking between all three of them, “Thank you for helping me… I’m still not fully convinced I’m not dreaming, but just in case I’m not, I thought I’d say.” She laughed nervously, fiddling with the clasp on the bracelet to put it on, “And I’m sorry if I’m causing trouble.”

“We’re all causing trouble here, one way or another,” Kanan shrugged, but with a smile on her face nonetheless, “Some more than others,” Everyone knew who that was a jab at. “But we help each other here. No strings attached.”

As Riko was led down the set of stairs, she was still having trouble wrapping her head around this place. The stairs looked like wood, sounded like wood and felt like wood underfoot. But was it real? There was some odd feeling to be garnered from The House and it was probable that other members felt it too… Or at least, she hoped that that was the case. Where exactly it resided was a mystery, if it resided at all. Who had made it and for what purpose? She was snapped out of these thoughts when she realised they were standing in the same lounge that she had first entered The House in. Or rather, had been unceremoniously dragged into. 

The door itself was different from the others that Riko had seen. Perhaps it was an odd thing to note, but this door had an insignia on it, depicting four loops pointing North, East, South and West respectively. Kanan opened up the door and poked her head outside. There, the sun was shining in the sky to the point where she squinted, pulling her head back and opening the door wider for her, “Ready?” 

Riko couldn’t help but feel rather nervous. She’d noticed Yoshiko straying away from the door’s entrance, though whether that was to hide her wing or because of another reason entirely, she wasn’t sure. She nodded and, with Kanan taking the front, Riko went out second and Mari third. Before she knew it, the door was closed and they were in the bustle of Tokyo once more. The sights, the sound, the smells. No one seemed to pay much attention to them as they joined the crowds, but Riko stayed close to Kanan who seemed to know her way around from the point they’d exited from. Nothing exceptional happened on the way there. When they were outside the dormitories, Kanan spoke up.

“Do you mind giving me your phone number? It’d be useful to stay in contact. If you’re in trouble, we can be there really quickly.”

“We can also look into who your attacker is, if you’d like,” Mari said as Riko input her number into Kanan’s phone. “I think this is a mystery we’d all benefit from getting to the bottom of.”

She could say that again. Kanan, Mari and whoever else was in The House would probably benefit from being put at ease that they weren’t in danger from whoever had attacked Riko and on top of that, if the bond The House offered was strong, then there wasn’t really any getting out of that fold for Riko. Even if she still thought this whole thing could’ve been a very complicated set of misunderstandings or mistakes, the idea of people looking out for her was one she couldn’t pass up now.

“Agreed…” Riko sighed, handing the phone back and taking Mari’s, “Do either of you have any ideas…?” She asked, with more than a hint of nervousness in her voice.

“Not really…” Mari sighed, putting a hand on her hip, “Though I can have a poke around.” She briefly checked the contact when Riko handed it back, managing a smile and putting it in her pocket.

“Chin up though,” Kanan said, “We’ll figure it out in no time.” 

“I hope so…” Riko said, casting her eyes downwards before looking towards the dormitory building, “I best get going.” And face the storm that Mari had brought upon her.

Bidding her their goodbyes, Mari and Kanan disappeared back into the crowd… Riko couldn’t even begin to think about what their ordinary daily lives were like. Was it like hers? Studying, work, leisure time and so on? What was it like constantly hiding oneself from the other people around them? Maybe The House offered the respite they needed, as Riko couldn’t imagine what it might be like for people without that support network.

She didn’t much feel like walking up the stairs, so she entered the elevator just before the doors closed, heading up with a couple of other people she didn’t know the name of, but she’d seen a few times before. Luckily, Riko’s stop was the first and before she knew it, she was entering her dormitory, only to be immediately swept up by Chika, whose stream of consciousness from the phone call was only flooding onward.

“Riko! I was so worried!” She said, a whine running through every single word she said, “Why didn’t you tell me?! Usually you’re so good with it, I thought the worst and you’re lucky I didn’t call your mother and- and, that I didn’t file a missing persons or post on social media and I-”

“Ch-Chika, I’m fine…” She sighed, placing her hands on Chika’s shoulders, whose eyes were glistening and she was looking at her like an incredibly sad puppy. It only served to twist that guilt deeper into her, even though it technically wasn’t her fault what had happened. She really hated the cover story she’d been made to go along with…

“It’s…” Chika sniffled, “S-so long as you’re fine…” 

“I am. Really.” 

The two exchanged a smile, even if Chika still looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. Riko groaned as she was enveloped in a crushing hug, hesitantly returning it, but with not as much gusto. She patted Chika’s back when she needed to breathe. Once again, the guilt returned when she saw how tired Chika looked - she must have been up all night worrying about her.

“So… One night stand, or are you going to see her again?”

“Chika…” Riko whined.

“If you’re going to be doing that again, I need to know!”

“I don’t know!” 

“That’s no good! Did you at least get her number?”

Somehow, it felt like nothing much had changed.


	2. Chapter 2

“Well, that’s never happened before.” Kotori mused, leaning a spectral arm on Umi’s shoulder after she’d kicked the door open that Riko had disappeared into, only to find nothing of any note. She sheathed her sword with a sigh and stepped back, as if getting a bigger picture of the door would help, but she knew it wouldn’t.

“Thank you for that.” Umi said tensely, Kotori shaking her head.

“Can’t win them all, you know?”

“I know.” Umi was usually fairly good with planning, but she didn’t want to admit that she’d left feeding rather late and was hoping this hunt would be successful. But it was incredibly hard to hide anything from Kotori, what with the tethering. Neither of them could exactly be alone with their own thoughts.

Kotori pushed off from the ground, lying down midair like she was in a hammock, settling her hands behind her head and flipping back to being invisible, even to Umi. “Next stop the hospital?” Even if she couldn’t be seen, she could still be heard and her presence felt.

Umi didn’t say a word, making sure her sword was concealed in her coat and starting off on her way. No one gave her a look, which was the way she preferred it. The lights of the hospital felt somewhat dim in comparison to the glaring neon of Tokyo at night. Extra light bounced off the small puddles running away into the drains, with Umi trying to take the side streets that weren’t so… Oppressive. She sent off a quick message to the director of the Nishikino hospital and when she arrived, Maki was waiting in the smoking area, feeding into a habit that Umi oh so hated.

“You look tired.” 

“Good evening to you too.”

Maki paused and took a drag of her cigarette, “I can never tell when you care about pleasantries and when you don’t.”

Umi leaned against the nearby wall, folding her arms and glancing briefly at Kotori appearing. Maki couldn’t see her, in fact, no one else could either. She knew Kotori didn’t particularly like being able to be seen by Umi and just about no one else, but she knew there wasn’t anything she could do with it. “Well, I would prefer a greeting before that observation.”

“Good evening,” Maki began again, taking another drag, “You look tired.” As she spoke, the smoke came out her mouth.

Umi stifled the urge to roll her eyes. She supposed that’s what she’d asked for. “I am.”

Maki certainly felt like this was going to go around in circles unless she pushed it. Umi was never the sort to volunteer up information of her own free will, unless you poked her a little bit. “Not like you to need help with a fix.”

Maki noticed the way Umi’s fingers curled into her bicep at that. Alright. Sore subject.

“If you give me a couple of minutes, I can go and get it.” 

“Please.”

Maki stubbed out her cigarette, throwing it in the nearby bin and heading back inside. Umi was left alone, or as alone as she could possibly manage to be right now. 

“I don’t envy you, y’know?” Kotori spoke up, tapping a finger against her own cheek.

“Where’s this coming from?”

Kotori remained silent for a few moments longer. She felt a lot of the emotions Umi did and on top of it all, she felt that compulsion. It was intense enough that sometimes she felt the same way, which probably only drove it further. Kotori briefly remembered how things were before, but as time had gone on and this life was adjusted to, a fog had begun to cloud their memories. They both felt it, but it was hard to speak about it.

“I was just wondering why you don’t take Maki’s offer.” 

“I’m worried something would happen to you,” Umi said, avoiding looking at Kotori directly, “The Nishikino tether might break our own.”

Kotori’s own feelings were that if it stopped Umi’s compulsion, then she might be willing to let go. But then again, that other, selfish part of her wanted to stay. The conflict coursed through the bond and to Umi, who straightened up properly.

“For now, I’d rather us both be safe.”

At that moment, Maki came out the door with her phone pressed up to her ear, holding up a coffee cup in Umi’s direction as she spoke to whoever was on the other side of the receiver, “Can you go back to bed at all?”

Umi had always thought that drinking blood for a cup like this was odd, but it was better than drinking from an obvious blood bag. Maki had a cup of her own and Umi couldn’t make out what was being said on the other end of the line, not that she was consciously eavesdropping. Kotori on the other hand, was sauntering closer. It was how she got her fun, even as Umi gave her a look that told her to stop. Hey, who could blame her? Gossip was all she had.

“It’s safe, you can take the painkillers and the sleeping pills.”

“Ohh, she’s talking to her wife,” Kotori said with complete impunity.

Umi mouthed to her  _ “I don’t want to know,”  _ so that Maki wouldn’t notice, but there was a certain smugness that came from Kotori in this moment. 

“Yeah, just…” Maki took a drink as a muffled voice said something on the other end, “Your body’ll cycle through them too quickly if you take too small a dose and you’ll wake up again… I don’t want another call at 4am.” 

Maki winced at her choice in words, squeezing her eyes shut and tanking the slightly harsher and what Umi assumed was more colourful language coming through the speaker. Kotori chuckled quietly and Umi decided to mind her own business by staring at the ground.

“That’s not what I meant... I’ll be able to work a lot better if I’m reassured that you’re well rested and in as little pain as you can be.” Maki’s shoulders visibly relaxed as the voice on the other end of the line calmed.

“I know you don’t mean it. It’s a hard time of the month. Take the dosage I told you and we’ll see how it goes, alright? Yeah… I love you too.” 

“Aww.” Kotori interjected.

“Goodnight.” There was a beat of silence after Maki hung up the phone.

“Everything alright?” Umi asked, mostly out of politeness more than anything.

“Yeah, full moon’s coming up in a few days. So every single werebeast is having a terrible time.” Maki sighed, “Some more than others.” 

“I see.” Umi drawled, going slow with her drink, like she was licking her wounds and feeling rather sorry for herself. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Maki said and there was a small part of Umi that was glad she was taking some initiative with conversation. Some days she wished that she was the soul tethered to Kotori instead. “You’re already tethered, aren’t you?” 

Umi knew it wouldn’t take a long time for someone who knew her situation to figure it out, but it didn’t stop her from raising both eyebrows at Maki to ask where she was going with this. 

“Where and when did you get tethered? And by what family or clan?” Maki asked, sounding serious.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes it does,” Maki interjected sharply, “Because if your tetherer comes searching, asking to have your debt to them repaid, then I can’t exactly do anything about it. I’m not going to harbour a rogue tethered.”

Another pause. Kotori spoke this time, even though Maki couldn’t hear, “If there’s anyone we can trust with our situation, it’s Maki, right?”

Umi thought on that for a beat. She exhaled slowly, “My tetherer won’t come looking.”

“I don’t know that for sure. If they come, I won’t be able to withhold information from them, out of the sake for the hospital and everyone else I help.”

“There is no tetherer. That’s why.” 

Maki pulled a sour expression, swirling the liquid in the coffee cup to distract herself and take in what Umi had said. “You’re not the sort to mess with me, I know that much, but if you’ve just started now,” She took a sharp inhale, “It’s really not a good time.”

Umi drummed her fingers against the cup, looking at her properly to show Maki her face was perfectly straight, “There is no tetherer. But I’m not going to go feral.”

“Explain.” Maki said with an eyebrow raised. She’d always been taught growing up that pureblood vampire families controlled the thinblood vampire’s tether supply. They’d never actually _be_ a part of that family, but it was a symbolic thing. They would do the family’s bidding and in exchange, they would not go feral. So, if Umi was telling the truth, then that was a great portion of her understanding clean out the window.

“When I was turned…” Umi hesitated for a moment, tapping her food against the wall in some form of rhythm to keep herself grounded, “I had a friend with me. We were both supposed to be turned together. At the same time.” Another pause as she tried to make sense of the memories she had stored in the fog in her mind. “I don’t remember where we were, but all I remember was that it was incredibly dark and I was sealed somewhere. She… Died during the process.”

Maki didn’t know where she was going with this, but she felt it was best not to interrupt her train of thought. Instead, she simply rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, taking in what she was being given here.

“My turning succeeded, obviously… And from that point onwards, I assume, that her soul was tethered to me in some way.” 

“... I’ve never heard of that.” Maki said, feeling the need to light up another cigarette which she abided to rather strictly. 

“I assumed it was normal,” Umi said, finishing off her own cup. It felt good to be revitalised, but there was still that sting of failure.

“I do have a name,” Kotori said, passing a hand through Maki to demonstrate her presence, which made Maki yelp in a rather unbecoming way. Her head whipped around, her gaze passing clean over Kotori’s presence, all whilst Kotori laughed to herself. It was the little things.

“So every time I’ve met you, she’s been here?” Maki said after clearing her throat and straightening her jacket.

“Mm,” Umi nodded as though it wasn’t that big of a deal, “Her name’s Kotori.”

Some light in Maki’s mind lit up, she remembered hearing vaguely about missing persons reports and the name Kotori Minami was amongst them. Nothing had come of it and it was assumed that was a dead, cold case. Then again, Umi’s supposedly was as well and yet she had the proof right in front of her. In this day and age, the supernatural had learned to adapt, even the more nefarious ones, to leave as little evidence as possible for their wrongdoings.

“Right… That’s a lot to take in,” Maki said, focusing on the embers of her cigarette and flicking away the ash, “I’ll have to look into that…”

“By all means,” Umi said, standing up and throwing the cup in the bin, “I appreciate the help, as per usual… Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” 

“Heading off?” Maki asked, checking the time on her phone. It was about time for her to head back in so she didn’t fall too far behind.

“I’ll see you another time.” A slightly awkward goodbye was had between them (they were a bit hopeless without their companions’ assistance). Maki couldn’t help but groan and relax tension she didn’t know she was holding when Umi left. There had always been something, not quite intimidating, but definitely odd about her. Maki knew about what sort of things thinblood vampires went through in order to survive and most were turned for a specific purpose. She didn’t know what Umi’s purpose was, but she had some insight now at least.

\---

After being thoroughly reamed by Chika for her conduct (which she had nothing to apologise for, seeing as it had never actually happened), Riko had agreed to spend a night out with her. It wasn’t her usual sort of thing, but she felt rather well rested and she knew Chika wouldn’t force her to stay out for any longer than she actually desired to. Riko was the sort of person who would insist she’d rather stay inside, but then when she actually went and did something outside her comfort zone, she had a great time.

But the thought of what had  _ actually  _ happened last night hung over her like a raincloud. She was replaying the events in her head, even if she did fast forward the part where she was threatened with a sword of all things. Riko had no idea why she was targeted, or anything like that. In fact, it was probably kind of irresponsible of her to agree to go out so soon, but she hoped her assailant had maybe got the message that she wasn’t worth it. Before she’d gone out, she’d sent off a quick heads up message to Kanan and Mari respectively, who had shot back an acknowledgement.

“Riko, if you’re not feeling up to it, don’t worry. We can do it another time.” 

She gave Chika a slightly uneasy smile. She was really trying not to get worked up at this moment in time, but she knew that she couldn’t just stay inside and refuse to go anywhere. Hell, she didn’t even know if she was safe in her own home. Chika picked up on her feelings, but didn’t quite know where they were coming from. 

“No, I could do with some time out.” 

“We’ll be home before midnight if that makes you feel better.”

“Ah, sure.”

Even though she’d been out plenty tonight, maybe this would help take her mind off it. And maybe if she was in a crowd, she’d actually be safe. Usually, Chika had this way of sweeping Riko along in her storm and she forgot her stresses. Then again, she’d never had her life threatened before, so who knew if Chika could work her magic on this one.

Before she knew it, she was underneath pulsing lights, bustling bodies and pounding music. Chika had gone off to get them both a drink and Riko had taken a booth, checking her phone as a message pinged through from Kanan about how both her and Mari were keeping an eye on them from across the room and to try and have fun, though they admitted this wasn’t their usual haunt. But, being the polite person she was, she put her phone away when Chika returned with their drinks.

“So,” Riko said, pulling her drink closer, “How are your studies going?”

Chika pulled a face, “Do we have to talk about that on a night out?”

Riko laughed, but she did know the rules, “Sorry, sorry.”

“Anyway, are you gonna tell me about last night at all?” Chika asked, turning the tables on Riko as quickly as she could manage. Of course, the actual thing that had happened last night was unpleasant and it showed on her face. She couldn’t blame Chika of course, she was under a false assumption.

“No…” Riko said, her eyes flitting away as Chika leaned forward with a bit of a grin.

“Where’d you meet her?”

“No comment…”   
  


“Do I know her?” 

Riko sighed, knowing she had to give Chika something, or else she wouldn’t stop poking, “No…”

“Does she go to our university?”

Riko shook her head.

The worst part about this whole thing was that she had to figure out how to efficiently make this up as she went along and perhaps, just to stack on top of it, she was indeed keeping her impression of Yoshiko in mind. Maybe it was because of Mari’s intervention, or maybe it was something else. She shook her head as if that would get rid of the image, an ever so slight blush on her cheeks that was hidden in the dimness. 

“Fine, fine, but if you’re going to be seeing her more often then I guess I’ll meet her at some point.” Chika fidgeted in her seat, but she knew that was probably the most she was getting out of Riko. She had a habit of clamming up if you pried too hard. “I’m not trying to embarrass you or anything, but I like to know what’s happening with my best friend.”

Oh, if only you knew, Riko thought.

“I get it,” Riko said, only sipping at her drink for the time being. Getting drunk on an ordinary night usually wasn’t on her to do list, nevermind her current situation. “Thanks.” She said, giving Chika a genuine smile to show she meant it.

But for the most part, the night passed without consequence. Chika had behaved herself on alcohol intake as well, probably sensing that Riko would prefer if she was in a sounder mind tonight. Even if she didn’t know what the reason was, she wasn’t about to go questioning her about it. Seemed like she’d already been through the questioning ringer. Even though she’d occasionally spotted Kanan and Mari in the crowd that had reminded her of what was playing in the back of her mind.

That was, until Chika began to act a little strange, beyond just the usual tipsiness. Riko knew that Chika could sometimes be a bit of an alcohol fiend, but she was properly holding back this time. There was being drunk and there was… This. She was slumping, muddy eyed, but there was no slurring… That was to say that there was no response at all. Even under ordinary circumstances, this would have her incredibly worried, a weight of anxiety forming in her gut.

“Chika?” Riko stood from her seat, circling around to crouch in front of her, “What’s wrong?”

Already, she was taking out her phone, even as just a small groan left her friend. Then, she was hastily sending out a text to Mari, as out of the two, she seemed like the one to be on her phone the most if she was perfectly honest. She gently pushed a hand against Chika’s chest to try and bring some attention to herself, but all that happened was Chika pliantly having her back hit the seat. Before she had time to properly panic, Mari had already slipped through the crowd with Kanan shoving her way through in stark contrast.

Of course, the problem was apparent, “Drugged?” Mari asked, with Riko stepping aside when Kanan made a small gesture, putting Chika’s arm around her shoulder and pulling her up without much of a bother.

“A-apparently, but we… We both kept an eye on drinks the whole night, they were never just… Left here or anything.” Riko’s anxieties were getting the better of her, her movements growing increasingly frantic.

“It’s alright, we’ll get her home safe, right?” Mari said, trying to be reassuring.

“Right… Yeah.”

“Ah, it’s almost a shame, I don’t get to go to bars often… All the noise hurts puppy’s ears~” Mari teased, lightning some of the tension by tugging on Kanan’s earlobe who growled in complaint.

“It’s fine,” Kanan said with a whine, “Let’s just go.”

“See? So eager.”

Kanan knew better than to keep this conversation going. She always tended to lose, no matter how logical or correct her points were. Silently, she resigned herself to being the muscle, pushing her way through the crowd with Chika simultaneously hooked around her shoulder. At the very least, whatever she’d been given was making it so she wasn’t trying to squirm out of her grip, even if she knew the situation was not ideal either way.

Soon enough, they were outside, but it hadn’t been an easy task, even though the only one of them that was carrying something was Kanan. People going in and out, as well as the stuffiness being replaced with the bite of cold required a moment of adjustment when they were out of the way of the general crowds of people. 

“Was there ever a time when Chika was alone with her drink?” Mari asked when they could properly converse again.

“Not really… Unless you count when she was walking back through the crowd,” Riko said, her brow furrowing as she pulled her jacket tighter around herself.

“That might be it…” Mari mused and truth be told, none of them had really considered that Chika might become the target instead of just Riko. “Think about it. All three of us know what she looks like. Chika doesn’t. If your assailant was in the bar and none of us noticed, she’d know she wouldn’t be able to get close to you without causing a fuss and definitely not close to Kanan and I. So Chika’s the obvious weak link, if I’m thinking it through properly.”

Riko, being the person that she was, felt a great deal of guilt for this situation. Oh, how nice it would have been if she could’ve just returned to her normal life, study, juggle Chika’s antics, graduate and so on and so forth. Simplicity would be nice. 

Mari sensing this, sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, you’re not to blame for this, you know. The only person who is to blame is obvious.”

Riko knew she was correct, but at the same time… She just couldn’t quite do it. In the meantime, Kanan was making a conscious effort to weave them through busier streets, in the hopes it might dissuade Umi from trying to drop on them. But as they grew closer to the university accommodations, the streets became quieter, even the lights of Tokyo being on the dimmer side as the transition from nightlife to residential began.

In her stupor of anxiety, Riko ended up stepping and stumbling on an uneven part of the path with a yelp. And in that split second of her fall, a blur of metal whipped past her with remarkable speed, the pointed tip hitting the pavement and blunting it with a resounding ping. Scrambling to her feet, she followed Kanan and Mari’s sudden gaze to the same woman as the night before, who seemed a little perturbed that her surprise attack hadn’t succeeded through a mere act of sheer luck.

Kanan had already lifted Chika properly into her arms, something she’d been trying to avoid so as not to get weird looks and shouted to Riko, “With me!”

To Riko’s surprise, Mari didn’t follow immediately, instead standing her ground. She wasn’t planning on sticking around though and she was sure that Mari could handle herself far better than she could. Before she turned around, she noticed the shadows almost bristle, as if she needed any further confirmation that she was supposed to be getting out of there as soon as possible.

Umi didn’t plan on letting her mark get too far ahead of her though. Immediately on the offensive, she made a lunge and slash towards Mari’s body without a hint of self restraint. She reacted just in time though, pulling herself backwards a few metres and her body starting to melt into wisps of black. As a flurry of attempted hits came her way, Mari continued to dodge, brow furrowed in concentration, until a mass of tendrils shot her way and wrapped themselves around Umi’s right wrist and pulled, trying to offset her balance.

As Umi’s hand pulled away from her weapon, Mari sent a mass of tendrils to strike her from the left. But, without even looking and with almost perfect precision, Umi flicked her sword and severed them, the tendrils hitting the floor and puffing into smoke that wisped away into nothing. Mari couldn’t help but yelp, the tendrils loosening themselves from around Umi’s wrist and reforming her right hand out of instinct. In that short interaction, Umi had regained her footing and began her advance once more.

Mari briefly formed her arm into a blade, but found the force behind Umi’s strikes was enough to start chipping away at flakes of her and then…

She disappeared, diving backwards into the blackness of the floor, shadows swirling, but none of them strikeable.

“Watch for me.” Umi declared.

That was odd. Was she speaking to herself? If this was a jab at her, she had no clue what it could possibly be. Well, she had the drop on her for now, she thought. Biding her time for a few seconds, Mari suddenly bolted upwards in a flurry of black, a strike poised, before a hefty boot kicked itself into her stomach and sent her flying backwards into the wall behind, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could stand up, Umi threw a dagger into her shoulder.

Tears pooled in Mari’s eyes and she muffled a scream into her hand, though Umi didn’t advance further.

“As the victim of a witch yourself,” Umi spoke, dropping her sword to her side, “I’m not going to kill you this time. But keep defending her and I won’t hesitate next time.”

With a piercing look, Umi ran after her mark once more, jumping up to the rooftops and disappearing from Mari’s vision. Despite the pain coursing through her shoulder and preventing her from willing her powers to stop her from continuing pursuit, she had quite a few questions rattling around in her head.

How had she been able to react so quickly to her attacks without even looking, who could she possibly be speaking to and how did witches fit into this fine mess?

And of course, she wondered if she’d done enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: the next chapter will be ready soon
> 
> one month later  
> HAHA
> 
> if you guys didn't trust me i wouldn't blame you

**Author's Note:**

> let's go lesbians. dysfunctional, struggling, sad lesbians.
> 
> I'll be adding further tags to this fic as I come up with them and as for writing process, I'm already a ways through chapter 2, aiming for an average of around 3k to 5k words per chapter. I've got plenty of plotlines to go on and some planning is going into this one (wow!). There are more characters to come with their own shticks, more relationships that could come to fruition and all that juicy drama and angst and all that nonsense.


End file.
